Let us go then, you and I...

we have arrived in italy. forgive the syntax and grammatical errors, i am on an internet train computer with a ten min time limit and an italian keyboard...oh dear

we had a great time our first night in pisa. our room at the hotel verdi was quite spacious and also very clean and comfy. we spent our first evening just wandering around, eating pizza and gelato (of course!! oh I just discovered how to make caps woohoo) The streets of Pisa are quite lovely, winding around and so many buildings of that gorgeous shade of yellowish orange with green shutters that one sees often in Tuscan photos.

This morning we climbed the Tower, before all the crowds arrived. Spectacular view, but my best view was of MN s face when she saw it for the first time...priceless!! The Duomo and Baptistry were also beautiful and we got to hear a man sing a few notes in the Baptistry and hear those wonderful acoustics.

We took the train to Florence and met the lovely Elena, owner of the apt we are renting. Great apartment and we will be very comfy there. As an added bonus, it now has air cond, which will be great because it is SO humid here.

only 23 seconds left so will write more later....gelato....MMMMMMMMM...more gelato

Well, I forgot about having to hit the save button so my time ran out and I sat here thinking OH no I did not publish...but apparently my applications stay open for 5 mins after time runs out so that I had time to quickly buy another 10 min card. Next time I will just get the 30 min card since clearly it takes me much more time on this keyboard than would have at home! The good news for any readers is that my typing can only improve (surely can not get worse, and who knows maybe I will even figure out how to do contractions!)

As I ended with last time, we have been loving the gelato...limone, limotta, chocolate, pistacio, cassata (still not sure what that means but MN found it tasty). Elena sent us over the bridge to the Oltrarno to what she thinks is THE best gelato in Firenze...Gelateria Carraia (or something like that.) It certainly was yummy.

We had a good dinner at Al Spado (again, forget the exact name but not to worry, I will have better details for my trip report, it is all in my journal.

MN and TG were thrilled with their first plane rides by the way. Our flights were blessedly uneventful, although the Ryanair landing in Pisa was a bit of a drop from the sky onto the tarmack...thump bump thud...whew. Condor seats were very very cramped but otherwise a decent flight. MN preferred the Condor seats to Ryanair. The Alps were thrilling (again)

Running out of time again!

I think we will check out the Uffizi tomorrow, and maybe a couple churches. Monday we go to the Cezanne exhibit. I will post more as we go, now that I am getting the hang of this internet train thing!

Ciao!!!!
Anne

Finally managed to mix free time with an empty internet cafe so will bring you up to date since...when did I last post? Oh yes, Saturday.

Let me first say that our apartment is fantastic! It is very centrally located but on a narrow street with little traffic. Close by is a GREAT restaurant, corner store, gelato just across the bridge (forget the name but is the next one down from Ponte Vecchio after Santa Trinita). As I mentioned it now has A\C, which is much appreciated during the day although we've been turning it off at night and sleeping fine. Loads of room in the apartment and I've really enjoyed eating meals at "home"! I also love waking up, throwing open the window (kept closed for quiet) and enjoying the morning noises of our neighbourhood. Unexpected was the sound of birdsong, not sure what type of bird though but was lovely to listen to this morning.

I got up before the girls so climbed to the loft and peeked at them asleep. They are sharing the fold out couch (which is VERY comfy) and it was so cute to see them together. Miss N was sprawled in the middle, limbs akimbo, and The G was tucked up on one side nearly off the edge. When they woke up I could hear them giggling and TG giving MN a hard time (teasingly) about hogging the covers and the bed, and even sitting on her at one point during the night! They are getting along fabulously so far. Any crankiness has been directed at mom or dad, and has been very mild, mostly due to tiredness or just being too hot.

So far the weather has been wonderful...except for yesterday which was incredibly hot...meltingly, steamy hot...thank heavens we're used to humidity in NS or I don't know how we would have managed. As it was, we tried to stick to the shady side of the street, refilled our water bottles and soaked our kerchiefs in every fountain we came across. (Must remember to thank John for that tip - what a relief from the heat to wet down with a soaking hanky!)

Today was the day - the Uffizi and Accademia day, that is!

We got up bright and early, had a piece of fruit and espresso (Dave and I, the girls had juice) and headed off to the Uffizi for opening time of 8:15. We got into what we thought was the reservation line, but I had a feeling it was not where we should be so went up to check with the security man. As turns out, we were in the tour group gathering line, but in any case the museum was closed for some reason until 10:15...museum hours in Florence...who can sort those out?!?! But I did get one gem of a tidbit from the guard - we didn't have to wait in line at all "just go to door no. 2, no line" he told me. Woohoo, imagine our thrill at bypassing even the line for reservation holders!! That alone made our Friends of Uffizi membership passes worth the price and more.

We strolled around to the Loggia della Signoria and sat there for a while, admiring the striking statues. I had loved Giambologna's Ratto della Sabine on my first visit to Florence and was just as taken with it this time. The figures seem ready to burst into motion at any second. It was so lovely just sitting in the Loggia, soaking up the atmosphere without huge crowds. In fact, aside from an older gentleman reading his paper, we were the only ones sitting there. A few other tourists wandered through, but nobody else sat down. Then back to the apt for breakfast before returning to the Uffizi.

Yesterday we went to Siena. The Siena Rapide bus ride is 75 mins from Florence to Siena, and costs 6.50 euro per person one way.

TG was so thrilled, but unfortunately she had not gotten a good sleep the night before so was too tired to fully appreciate the city's beauty.

We wandered around the VERY steep streets - holy cow, some of them are so steep, I can't believe cars are able to drive on them! One in particular looked nearly vertical - the girls and I walked partway down, but Dave didn't take up the challenge, instead he stayed at the top and recorded our foolishness. I was puffing coming back up, for sure!

The Duomo, and especially the Picolomini (sp?) Library, were gorgeous. Dave didn't come in since he likes neither religious art, nor the multicoloured marble of the architecture (party pooper!) The Baptistry was hushed and intimate feeling, even though very spacious. Alas some men were repairing a bit of floor so we couldn't linger due to the epoxy, or whatever they were using...bad fumes.

MN thought the crypt was very cool, and discovered a great fascination with transparent floors! Very cool to stand on the plexiglass and look down a couple stories to the floor below - she said she's finally found something she's scared of. Nonetheless she wanted to stand on every single piece of "glass floor" we came across!

We grabbed a quick piece of pizza near Piazza San Pietro and sat on the steps of that old church. Next door was a frutteria, so we had peaches, apples and a pear for dessert (ok, first dessert...we also had gelato later on our ramblings). We wandered from there down around the old walls. There are some beautiful vistas from various parts of Siena, and a couple lovely little parks with shady trees, benches and "normal" daily life happening. Very cool.

Today we went to the Bargello...I LOVE the statues, especially Michelangelo's drunken Bacchus. Donatello's David was being restored and MN was very fascinated with that process (as were the rest of us.)

We also checked out Santa Croce and really loved the cloister and museum. TG was thrilled with the tribute to Dante, and MN was taken with a stunningly colourful painting in the museum. She hasn't been at all happy with all the gory crucified Christ paintings, so was nice to find one that was a happier scene.

TG, MN and I also climbed the Dome this morning - spectacular view.

Ooops out of time - ciao!

We are having a great time in Venice!!!

Our apartment is very very basic - reminds me of going to the camp or cottage - but it suits us just fine. The girls each have a single bed in the tiny entry hall. There's also a small kitchen (well equipped), a dining room, bathroom (sitdown shower only) and a large bedroom for Dave and I. I was worried that the Jazz Bar on the floor below would be too noisy, but with the windows closed (we have A\C) at night we barely hear a thing. The people in the apt next door had a row last night though - woke Ginger and I up with all the yelling and sobbing and the older lady from the apt on the other side coming along to tell them to shush...quite the scene, somehow the uninhibited expression of emotions seemed very Italian!

We finally made it to the Doge's Palace and thought it was very grand indeed! MN's favourite part was the section of the golden staircase dedicated to Venus (I think I mentioned before that she's been "collecting" Venuses during our trip). However she was disappointed in the dungeons - they were not what she was hoping for (dark, dank, damp spooky places are up her alley...these were too light and airy, relatively speaking, of course!) TG loved it all, especially the BIG room (memory failure and can't recall its real name, famous though it may be.)

Inspired by Maria's photos of votive trees, here is one of Miss Ninja lighting a candle in Chiesa di Ognissanti last summer:

In Sandra's recent entry about Spello, she mentioned the "Early Renaissance painter, Pinturicchio -- whose real name was Bernardino di Betto (ca. 1452-1513)."

Immediately my mind shifted back to my two visits to Siena, where I had the great pleasure of gazing upon the brilliant frescos by Pinturicchio (1502-07) depicting the life of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Bishop of Siena then Pope Pius II, in the Piccolomini Library.

Pinturicchio was commissioned to paint the library by Francesco Piccolomini Todeschini (aka Pope Pius III) in homage to his uncle Enea Silvio Piccolomini (aka Pope Pius II).

A quote from this website says it all:

The interior of the Library offers the observer an unforgettable spectacle. Many on entering the Library have tried to describe the room, permeated by such luminosity and richness of colour as to result unparalleled.
Indeed, Pintoricchio managed to describe the life and vicissitudes of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, portraying them with the colours of a beautiful and magic fairy tale.